Series Review: Books 1-4 of THE MURDERBOT DIARIES

Note: Nerd rant video link updated May 29th

Have I mentioned how much I love Murderbot?

In case we’ve just met, that’s a joke. I have posted a few times about The Murderbot Diaries. (Read my Ode to Murderbot post and watch my Obligatory Sci Fi Nerd Rant In Defense of Murderbot video for some shining examples of my undying devotion.)

I’ve never actually reviewed the series on my blog, though, and that definitely needs to change– especially since (I hope) the new Apple TV series based on the books will inspire a whole new wave of readers to look into the series!

I don’t want to clog your feed with reviews, so I’m going to slam through the first four novellas right here in one post.

Since the fifth book is a full-length novel, I’ll post that review separately.

Let’s start with All Systems Red. This is the first book of The Murderbot Diaries, and it will always be my favourite. Meeting Murderbot for the first time is an unbeatable experience.

Murderbot is not a rampaging murderous robot as the name might imply. Murderbot’s official name is actually Sec Unit, which stands for Security Unit. It’s a cyborg security unit up for rent from a corporation that supplies equipment to space exploration teams, and, naturally, uses said equipment to spy on them.

But Murderbot isn’t interested in gathering boring trade secrets or spying while annoying humans argue and have sex. Murderbot has a secret. It’s hacked its governor module. The Corporation isn’t really in control of this rogue unit. Sure, Murderbot could have gone on a murderous rampage to destroy the humans who enslaved it, but instead, it’s become addicted to soap operas.

Murderbot is going about its usual routine–doing a half-assed job of guarding a team of scientists on an uninhabited planet while secretly bingeing its fave shows–when things start to go dangerously wrong.

Dangerously and suspiciously wrong.

Turns out, Murderbot is going to have to put its soaps on pause to save the foolish scientists from an evil corporate plot. And it might even have to admit it cares about their clumsy, inefficient, emotional asses in the process.

I highly recommend this novella to anyone, even if you don’t usually read sci-fi. It’s short, it’s hilariously voicey, and it isn’t really about the perfectly executed sci-fi action sequences or the intrigue of the corporate espionage plot. It’s about surviving abuse, living in self-protective denial, and, ultimately, it’s about what it takes to be willing to be vulnerable again after being hurt.

Oh and also it’s about the fact that humans are idiots.

Trust me, you will laugh and cry and love every hilariously action-packed minute of it.

Okay, let’s move on to the second novella in the series, Artificial Condition. I’m not going to go into as much detail about Murderbot’s sarcastic personality, hilarious narration, and soap opera addiction. Suffice it to say that everything that makes Murderbot one of my all time favourite characters continues in full force in this episode.

This time, Murderbot is running away from the humans who have offered to help it. Before it can accept help, Murderbot needs to go on a quest of self-discovery to uncover the events that inspired it to name itself Murderbot. Who killed all those humans at the mining operation Murderbot was stationed at? Why was Murderbot’s memory wiped? Can it really trust itself with the humans it (doesn’t want to admit) it cares for? And, ultimately, who is Murderbot, deep down, as a person on its way to discovering its own humanity and place in the universe?

My favourite aspect of this story is when Murderbot meets its match in ART, an AI-controlled spaceship that outsmarts and nags Murderbot to no end. The frienemyship between Murderbot and ART is one of my fave relationship dynamics in a novel to date.

Artificial Condition is another highly recommended read!

Moving on to Book Three in the Murderbot Diaries–Rogue Protocol. If you were only in the Murderbot stories for the novelty of the premise, you might stop reading here.

But you probably won’t.

You’ll probably consider Murderbot a hilarious bestie who you want to spend time with again and again by this point. So you’ll definitely want to continue the adventure as Murderbot is forced to kick ass on behalf of humans yet again, while gathering more evidence against the evil corporations that control the Murderbot Universe.

If you’re loving Murderbot’s journey of discovering its own humanity, this one has some really special moments. Especially the confused mix of feelings evoked in Murderbot by the pet-like relationship between Miki and its benevolent human owners whom it considers “friends.”

And finally (finally for this post but not for the eight-book series) let’s take a look at Exit Strategy, the fourth novella in The Murderbot Diaries series.

I feel like you at least need to read through this fourth book to get a sense of closure on the overall story arc of Murderbot’s journey to discover itself and find a place in the world.

This one circles back around to Dr. Mensah and the found family of humans Murderbot left behind after Book 1. Mensah has been accused of corporate espionage and kidnapped, and Murderbot must reunite with its old team to locate her and bust her out of enemy territory while also proving the evils of the corporation that’s been screwing with everyone’s lives.

As with the others, I loved everything about this story and highly recommend you read it.

You could stop here, with Murderbot reunited with the humans it doesn’t want to admit it has grown to care for. But don’t! I’m in the midst of reading the fifth book in the series, and I can tell you that it’s every bit as hilarious as the first four novellas, with the bonus that it’s a full-length book, so you get to spend even more time inside the inner monologue of the most endearingly hilarious characters in sci-fi history, PLUS you get the bonus of a more complex novel length plot with plenty of intrigue to unravel. Review coming soon!

What do you think?

Do you connect with Murderbot as much as I do? Are you as excited as I am for the live-action adaptation coming soon from Apple TV? Are you as worried as I am that it won’t live up to the perfection of the books?

Drop your thoughts in the comments! I need to find my fellow Murderbot fangirls!

Plus, if you comment during April 2025, you’ll be entered into my BLOG BIRTHDAY GIVEAWAY drawing for a chance to win a FREE BOOK of your choice! (See giveaway details here.)